December weather cannot chill the fervor volunteers for Wreaths Across America (WAA) feel in honoring deceased veterans during the holiday season.

Idahoans and Montanans are among more than a million volunteers who will dress veterans’ headstones with wreaths at 1,400 of the nation’s cemeteries on December 15. Each wreath is laid with names of the deceased spoken aloud.

Since 1992, WAA has evolved from a few individuals placing wreaths at headstones of the fallen at Arlington National Cemetery to a national nonprofit organization with an army of volunteers on a mission — to remember the fallen, to honor those who serve and their families, and to teach children the value of freedom.

Last year, the national cemetery had nearly 245,000 wreaths on display over the holiday season. This year, volunteers will place an anticipated 5,000 wreaths at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Boise.

In Helena, Montana’s capital city, 600 are expected for the Montana State Veterans Cemetery at Fort Harrison.

Wreaths will be on display for about a month, until volunteers retire them the third Saturday in January.

How do volunteers accomplish their daunting task, and what sparked their passion? Tamara Earp, 46, of Boise, Idaho, and Linda Juvik, 66, of Helena, Mont., organize the annual holiday labors of love in their respective states and share their insights.

Montana

At Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Fort Harrison, 3,169 veterans and 1,101 spouses are interred. The Post Chapel ceremony begins at 10 a.m. with each wreath honoring five veterans.

“The community has been so supportive sponsoring wreaths and volunteering the day of the ceremony,” said Juvik, a member of the Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association. “We put the wreaths at the cemetery’s center circle on wooden stands, each holding 20 wreaths.”

Along with the association and the Helena community, other participants include members of the local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and The American Legion and its Auxiliary.

Juvik’s husband, Dick, 69, is a Vietnam War veteran and president of the association. He built the original 16 wreath stands for the memorial.

A Boy Scout who helped with the ceremony in 2016 was so impressed that he built 10 more stands for his Eagle Scout community service project, to use in 2017.

Dick built an additional four stands this year, hoping to secure sponsorships for 600 wreaths.

The program has grown steadily every year with wreath donations and volunteers of all ages.

The first year, volunteers placed 146 wreaths. In 2016, they placed 227. Last year, that number doubled, with 452 wreaths on display at the memorial.

The event begins with a ceremony in the Post Chapel, where wreaths are presented for each branch of the military as well as one for POW/MIAs.

Gold Star Families will also be honored with their own special wreath.

“Boy Scouts place a white carnation in the wreath, one for each of the 43 Montanans killed in action in the Middle East after September 11, 2001, and the name is spoken,” Juvik said.

After the ceremony, participants place the wreaths in the Chapel’s adjoining cemetery.

Money raised for this event goes to honor Montana veterans at their funerals. For every sponsored wreath, WAA gives $5 to the Montana POW/MIA Awareness Association.

“We use that money to give a remembrance coin and packet of forget-me-not seeds to the family of each deceased veteran [for] whose funeral we stand [in] a flag line,” Juvik said. “We invite people to come honor veterans with us.”

Idaho

To coincide with the WAA ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery at noon, Boise’s program begins at 10 a.m., allowing for the two-hour time difference.

“We had about 75 volunteers the first year in 2014 and last year had an amazing 500 to 600 volunteers of all ages,” Earp said. “When I see the truck coming with our wreaths, I can’t help but get excited because we’re honoring veterans and their families. I love it and meeting all the families. A lot of non-military families participate, too, so it’s an opportunity to teach children about veterans’ service and sacrifices.”

Her husband, James, 46, is the director at the cemetery. After he retired from Fort Bragg with a 20-year career with the Army, the Earps moved to Boise, where Jim worked as a veteran service officer and eventually was hired to manage the cemetery.

The wreaths are placed in designated areas throughout the grounds, where more than 7,000 veterans are interred. Headstones occupy one section of the grounds, while elsewhere are a columbarium, scatter garden, and wall, as well as upright and flat memory markers throughout.

“We place wreaths at each section and let volunteers pick which headstones to place a wreath at,” she said. “Seeing the community support for this event is awe-inspiring.”

Awestruck in Arlington: WAA Origins

WAA traces its origins to the boyhood of Morrill Worcester, when he stood in the national cemetery as a 12-year-old. After winning a contest delivering newspapers, he accepted the prize of touring Washington D.C.

Awestruck in Arlington, he vowed to do what he could one day to honor the veterans there.

After starting a wreath company in Maine, he had leftovers one year and drove with them and volunteers to the cemetery.

They dressed the headstones, launching his nonprofit.

Fundraising is a year-round effort. Individuals can order wreaths online for $15 apiece (www.waa.org). Donors may designate a fundraising group and cemetery where their wreaths will be on display. MSN

For more information, contact Tamara Earp at 208.995.1640 or Linda Juvik at 406.442.0493.

]]>https://montanaseniornews.com/wreaths-across-america/feed/03085Move Slowly and More Mindfully: Pilates Help People of All Ageshttps://montanaseniornews.com/pilates/
https://montanaseniornews.com/pilates/#respondSat, 01 Dec 2018 00:04:43 +0000https://montanaseniornews.com/?p=3079Looking like the upward part of a pushup, the plank position is one of many exercises utilized in Pilates and other low-impact exercise programs gaining favor with audiences of all ages, especially seniors.

Pilates instructor Perrey Sobba figures at least half the members of her Kalispell-based Space Pilates are over 50, including Mike Fanning, who at age 82 does an impressive “plank.”

Looking like the upward part of a pushup, the plank position is one of many exercises utilized in Pilates and other low-impact exercise programs gaining favor with audiences of all ages, especially seniors.

“One of the reasons I love the practice so much is that it is wonderful for everyone,” said Sobba, “from young athletes to pregnant women and those recovering from injury.” Pilates can help on many levels, she adds, ranging from an improved golf game to reduced pain to recovery from injury.

“For the older generation, it helps with maintaining deep core strength (especially pelvic floor), building muscle tone through resistance training without the full body impact on the joints, creating length and flexibility in the spine and body, and keeping bone density (especially important for women and those dealing with osteoporosis),” said Sobba, a lifelong athlete originally from Whitefish, Mont., who discovered Pilates as an international figure skater.

Special considerations for seniors include orthopedic problems — hip or knee replacements, spinal and shoulder issues — as well as loss of balance, flexibility, and strength, said Susan Chapman Caswell, who runs Sandpoint, Idaho-based Xhale Pilates Studio with business partner, Corrina Barrett.

Pilates, according to the Mayo Clinic, was invented in the 1920s consisting of “low-impact flexibility and muscular strength and endurance movements. Pilates emphasizes proper postural alignment, core strength, and muscle balance.”

Similar to yoga, Pilates movements have names — Leg Circle, RollUp, CrissCross — most of which are self-explanatory, yet just moving your body parts isn’t enough and might even be harmful, especially to people with injuries or who are advanced in age.

Instead, people need to practice mindful movement, said Melissa “Missy” Dodge-Hutchins, a Master Pilates and 500-level yoga teacher based in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where she owns Metta Movement.

“Mindful movement is being aware of where you are in space, where you initiate your movement from, how that initiation causes patterns in your musculoskeletal system to manifest, and how to decrease pain and increase performance,” said Dodge, whose background includes teaching Pilates at the University of Utah, as well as neuromuscular re-education for a Salt Lake City physical therapist.

People with wrist issues, for example, such as those caused by carpal tunnel or arthritis, would need to modify the plank to limit bearing weight on affected areas, said Dodge. Modifications for knee replacements might include using a stretchy band to limit range-of-motion.

“In the Pilates world it’s called movement disassociation and is a skill one must work on,” said Dodge. “It does not necessarily come naturally.”

Another significant benefit of Pilates (or any form of exercise that increases awareness of the body), said Caswell, is that it allows seniors to participate more fully in their favorite activities, eventually becoming ingrained into everyday movement.

And, she added, Pilates classes get you connecting with like-minded individuals, not just of your age, but all ages.

Group classes can be a wonderful way for people to get exercise, yet the sheer volume of people in a class might mean seniors don’t get the individual attention they need, cautioned Dodge-Hutchins.

Do your homework, advised the instructors we profiled, and be sure to inform him or her of specific injuries, limitations, concerns, etc., especially in a small-class setting or — better yet — one-on-one.

“It’s a good idea to find a trained professional who can assist in moving in an intelligent and mindful way in order to stay healthy, rehab from an injury, and/or increase performance,” said Dodge. MSN

]]>https://montanaseniornews.com/pilates/feed/03079Accordion Ladyhttps://montanaseniornews.com/accordion-lady-hilda-brimmer/
https://montanaseniornews.com/accordion-lady-hilda-brimmer/#respondSat, 01 Dec 2018 00:03:32 +0000https://montanaseniornews.com/?p=3074In harmony with the hills and tall pines that dominate the landscape of the Brimmer ranch, Hilda Brimmer plays accordion music that has spread deep roots into daily life.

You will not find any whimsical twists in this writing. There are no stories of family jokesters, no descriptions of family outlaws, no remembering the aunt who forgot to put sugar in the pumpkin pie. What you will find in this writing is passion, commitment, appreciation, and love.

Usually, my writings focus on one person, but this writing is about two people. The first person is the school teacher from Wyoming who fell in love with a budding Montana rancher, married him, and moved to the remote country southeast of Biddle, Mont., and who brought into this marriage five children.

The second person in this writing is the lady who knew her 59-year-old husband was gone long before they arrived in Spearfish, S.D., even though the ambulance folks continued with their CPR efforts.

The University of Wyoming educated school teacher sure had no idea that her life was about to take a different direction when she drove to southeastern Montana in 1970 for a summer visit with her brother, who was working on a ranch.

But as she told me, “I felt comfortable with my future in-laws, they were good people, and I knew there was no room for me at my family’s ranch in Wyoming.”

In 1972, when fall showed up, the young brown-haired teacher did not return to her home at Moorcroft, Wyo., to teach at the Green River school where she had taught for the previous five years. Instead, she packed her clothes, a few personal possessions and her accordion, and started life as Mrs. Leland Brimmer.

In harmony with the hills and tall pines that dominate the landscape of the Brimmer ranch, the new bride’s music spread deep roots into daily life. Like a well-worn winter coat, it was part of the new Mrs. Brimmer. It was her.

“As a little girl, I remember always wanting to play accordion.” She and her father drove to the music store in Casper, Wyo., and came home with her accordion. It was a dream come true.

“I still have it, the accordion Father and I bought in 1961.”

She has two other push-and-pull boxes, but the used one her father bought overflows with memories and will always have top spot on the shelf.

It’s been almost 60 years since that memorable trip to the Casper music store. Mrs. Brimmer has gained a few pounds, and her brown hair is streaked with some gray. At 73, her step is a bit more cautious, and her fingers don’t move around the accordion like they used to.

“I can’t play polkas. My fingers are not fast enough,” she said. “I like the old-time country music, songs like ‘Have I Told You Lately,’ and ‘I Overlooked An Orchid.’ That’s my favorite.”

At the local country dances, she and her husband, Leland, often requested the song. “We loved to dance to it.”

This writer has precious little music ability, so when Mrs. Brimmer ran her fingers over the accordion, explaining how it works, how it’s a reed instrument and doesn’t get out of tune, and that it is put together with bees wax, I found myself lifting the pen off my note paper and focusing on the love that came pouring out of Mrs. Brimmer’s eyes, the smile I hadn’t seen in the first part of our interview.

I looked out the big picture window, tried to put together a picture of a young Mrs. Brimmer playing music as her little kids sat on the floor. It was that special moment I always look for in my writing.

Now, we put down the pen and leave the accordion lady behind. Oh, but first we need to give our accordion lady a name — Hilda Ann Brimmer.

She’s the other lady in this writing, a woman who never missed a step in keeping the family business running when her husband passed 15 years ago. And the name of this remarkable lady — Hilda Ann Brimmer.

In 2010, the Brimmer Ranch celebrated 100 years of existence. It started out as a homestead. Today, with the help of a daughter, Mrs. Brimmer keeps the sheep and cattle ranch going.

“We had bought neighboring places as they came up for sale,” she said. “It wasn’t long after Leland passed that I bought another, which we had leased for 40 years. I took the bull by the horns and made it go.” She continued, “You know land is a good investment.”

We walked amongst the sheep as family and neighbors docked the lambs. Mrs. Brimmer noted lamb prices should be good this year. She recalled years ago when she and Leland left the sale ring where they had watched their 125-pound lambs bring $30.

“We looked at each other and asked why do we do this, but we kept plugging long, staying with the sheep.”

Today, this stocky Estonian lady admits that when she runs out of groceries, she does not make a special trip to town, but she will right quick get in her old Suburban if they need vaccines or mineral for the animals and head out.

Before they make any business decisions, Mrs. Brimmer visits with her daughter Leann.

“We talk on the phone, or as our paths cross around the ranch,” she said. “Leann will say she has been thinking about a project, like a new water line in a pasture.”

Mrs. Brimmer admits she is a cautious business person. “I am not shrewd. Look at my old Suburban; we don’t have new equipment. We run used stuff.”

When we first spoke, Mrs. Brimmer explained her place is primitive — no TV, no internet. Just a radio to get the morning news.

“If you don’t have it, you don’t miss it, I accept that I can’t go to town: accept it and make the best of it,” she laughed. “I am not a person who gets bored. I have times when I feel overwhelmed and do not know what to do next, but I don’t get bored.”

Mrs. Brimmer does all the books for the ranch. It’s a big job.

“I know where we stand financially. I know all the details of a lien.”

Indeed it was obvious from the short time we spent together, this woman knows the sheep and cattle business. She pointed to the short fine grass growing amongst the tall pines.

The sheep do well on this grass and on the gumbo prairie of our summer pasture.

By the time October comes around, the lambs are good-sized, very desirable in the marketplace.

But the wool is good, too. Wool sheared from the ewes brings in part of the income. According to Mrs. Brimmer, the ewes have good clean fleeces in this country.

“We are working on the genetics to produce finer wool.”

Leann is a sheep person and has been since her toddling days. She lives and breathes sheep. Loves the shearing work. She is a world-class wool evaluator, as good as anyone in the business.

The Brimmer Ranch must continue and never be sold, Mrs. Brimmer insisted.

Hilda Ann Brimmer is her name, but that twinkle came to her eye when she told me, “Most folks call me Annie. They don’t know me as Hilda.”

This writer prefers “Hilda.” Hilda who told me about the best part of family Christmas was when Leland would hook the team to the sled to go looking for a Christmas tree; who told me that it was playing the accordion and piano everyday that kept her going when Leland died. MSN

]]>https://montanaseniornews.com/accordion-lady-hilda-brimmer/feed/03074The Frantics Are Backhttps://montanaseniornews.com/the-frantics/
https://montanaseniornews.com/the-frantics/#respondSat, 01 Dec 2018 00:02:05 +0000https://montanaseniornews.com/?p=3070It has taken 50 years for Billings psych-rock band The Frantics "Birth" to see the light of day. The world finally has a chance to hear this astonishing and accomplished piece of Rock-n-Roll history with its reissue. One European music critic, Alex Carretero, says the recording is “Probably the greatest lost US psych album ever.”

In the case of Billings psych-rock band The Frantics, it has taken 50 years for their 1968 album Birth to see the light of day. Recorded a half-century ago in Norman Petty’s studios in Clovis, New Mexico (where Buddy Holly recorded), Birth never made it to record stores until April 2018.

One European music critic, Alex Carretero, called Birth “Probably the greatest lost US psych album ever.”

Thanks to Dave Martens, who put the record out this year on Lost Sounds Montana, a reissue label based in Havre dedicated to the preservation of historic Montana recordings, the world finally has a chance to hear this astonishing and accomplished piece of Rock-n-Roll history.

The Frantics narrowly missed becoming a band as big as those they toured with, including The Yardbirds, The Young Rascals, and the Everly Brothers. The full list of their connections to the world’s great rock-n-roll acts reads like a Rolling Stone Magazine schematic chart of 1960s band history.

The Frantics got their start in Billings. Mont., in the spring of 1964 at Eastern Montana College. The original members were Don Mock, Larry Krank, Vaughn Smith, and Max Byfuglin. In 1965, Don Kingery joined the band, taking over drumming duties so that Max Byfuglin could focus on being the lead singer.

Later that year, Bill Kogolshak replaced Krank on bass, and Kim Sherman replaced Vaughan Smith on lead guitar. Sherman was a welcome addition, having achieved some notoriety in another local band called The Malibus, who enjoyed a regional hit with a song called “Mr. Malibu.”

In early 1966, the Frantics recorded a 45 at Klier Sound Studio in Billings, “Route 66” with “La Do Da Da” on the B-side.

They acquired a manager, Ray Ruff, who booked the band in venues well outside their home state.

Over the next year, as the band made a name for themselves in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, they went through several lineup changes, eventually becoming a six-piece “psychedelic” rock band. By the time they began recording Birth in 1968, the “classic” lineup of The Frantics featured Phil “Gordo” Head on drums, Max Byfuglin on vocals, Jim Haas on keyboard, vocals, trumpet, Kim Sherman on lead guitar, David Day on bass, and Dennis Devlin on rhythm guitar.

Between 1964 and 1967, The Frantics quickly rose to prominence as one of the most sought-after and promising bands in Montana. In 1967, along with a band called Initial Shock, they started touring nationally, sharing the stage with such acts as The Who, Jethro Tull, Love, The Yardbirds, and Alice Cooper, to name a few.

Some of the highlights of those years recounted by the surviving members of the band involved a late-night jam session with Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison of The Doors, as well as crossing paths with the Beatles in a New York club.

In recalling those years recently, bass player David Day remarked, “there was not a lot of hard rock bands in Montana, and The Frantics just had this mystique, this kind of charisma. After the tour in 1966, we had a San Francisco-style light show, and a more psychedelic sound. I’d say we sounded like Pink Floyd meets Led Zeppelin.”

In 1968, Phil Head recommended the famous Norman Petty Studio in Clovis, N.M., as the place to cut their debut album, a landmark studio where not only Buddy Holly started his career, but Waylon Jennings and Roy Orbison as well. Petty rivaled Phil Spector as one of the great rock-n-roll producers, though psychedelic rock was a bit out of his wheelhouse.

The band recorded a dozen tracks with Petty, but the contract they’d signed limited their access to the tapes unless a record label agreed to use them.

When The Frantics did make a record deal a year later, the producers decided to have the band start over in a new studio, which meant that if the band wanted the Petty material, they’d have to foot the bill themselves. As a consequence, the original recordings for Birth would sit in the archive in Clovis for 50 years.

In 1969, the band recorded a second record called Conception, which received some critical acclaim, but the record lacked the verve and originality of their earlier recordings. As Martens pointed out, the second album only featured a few originals, and only two of the songs from the Norman Petty sessions made it on Conception.

A year later, as the band’s shot at a major release failed to gain traction, the band decided to call it quits.

But the members of The Frantics all went on to have tremendous success in other bands. David Day for example, formed a band in LA in 1972 called Whitehorse, whose lineup included a lead guitarist named Mick Mars, who would a few years later achieve great fame playing guitar for the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. When Mars joined the Crüe, he took a few of Whitehorse’s tricks with him, including the gimmick of having the drummer on stage play upside-down in a special kit.

Jim Haas, meanwhile, went on to do studio session work for years, achieving his greatest notoriety as the fellow who sang the popular TV show Happy Days theme song. He also performed background vocals on the studio albums of dozens of acts, most famously for Pink Floyd’s album The Wall in 1979.

In 1980-81, Haas toured with Pink Floyd as a backup singer and reprised his role when Roger Waters resurrected the famous The Wall show in 1990 in Berlin after the Berlin Wall came down.

Sadly, Jim Haas died in April of 2018, a day before Birth finally made it to vinyl, 50 years after he had first sung on the original tracks.

They may not have realized it at the time, but the members of the Frantics were making Rock & Roll history as one of the few 1960s bands from Montana to brush up against the big time. The members have proud memories of their days in Santa Fe and L.A.

“At the time I joined the band, I only knew that they were from Montana,” recalled Phil Head. “I had seen them perform in Pueblo, Colo., at the Fantastic Zoo and thought they were the best band I had ever seen. This was the first time I’d seen what I consider a power band. Their energy and charisma were overwhelming.”

Head also notes the band had an unparalleled work ethic. “We always made the gig,” recalls Phil Head in the liner notes to Birth. We broke down in one of the worst blizzards New Mexico had in a hundred years, [and] we broke down in the Mojave Desert. We broke down in Castle Rock, Colorado, in a snowstorm, and Larry hiked a good mile to the only gas station to get the parts we needed. We drove across South Dakota with a cracked wheel on the truck wobbling, but we made the gig. We always made the gig. We were opening for Jethro Tull and Richie Havens at the Aragon Ballroom, and hours before we were to go on, a drunk cop broke David’s finger and then arrested him…but we made the gig.”

And not only did they always make the gig, but they put on great shows.

“The thing about a Frantics show,” David Day said, “is that people would be stunned. They would walk out afterward just stunned. It was that good.”

Thanks to Dave Martens and his love of “lost” Montana music, the Frantics’ Birth has finally hit the music store shelves, much to the delight of local audiophiles. It’s a monument to the 1960s era and its affection for psychedelic sound and songwriting. It’s clearly an important artifact in the annals of Montana music history.

The musicianship and sonic quality of the album is impressive — this is not some garage band who happened to cut a record on the cheap back in the day.

Kim Sherman’s lead guitar work is crisp and precise, and surprisingly melodic for the late 60s. Byfuglin and Haas generate some powerful vocal work as well. The overall effect is interesting, because the album sounds both fresh and contemporary in the psych genre, but it also feels a bit like a sonic time capsule.

“It’s surprising how well that thing holds up 50 years later,” David Day noted recently.

Martens started the Lost Sounds Montana record label in Missoula in 2011 along with some other DJs at the college radio station, KBGA. Martens later launched a popular website (lostsoundsmontana.bandcamp.com/music) where he archives hundreds of recordings of Montana musicians ranging from old school country like Boone and the Buckskins to The Frantics.

According to Martens, the mission of Lost Sounds Montana is “to preserve, archive, showcase, and make accessible the music and associated history of Montana across the decades.”

Bringing Birth to the world was a complicated and challenging effort, according to Martens. “The Norman Petty Estate, which manages the tape archive, very rarely allows recordings to be prepared for release,” he said.

“Recently, through the work of people like Shawn Nagy, efforts have begun to restore, preserve, and release the entire archive. The Norman Petty Estate even resurrected the Nor-Va-Jak label, originally Petty’s in-house label, to fund this [The Frantics’ Birth] and future archival releases.” MSN

]]>https://montanaseniornews.com/the-frantics/feed/03070The Age of Vicarioushttps://montanaseniornews.com/age-of-vicarious/
https://montanaseniornews.com/age-of-vicarious/#respondSat, 01 Dec 2018 00:01:55 +0000https://montanaseniornews.com/?p=3115I think there should be, for everyone between the ages of 70 and 75, a gong that sounds the warning, “This is the Dawning of the Age of Vicarious.”

I think there should be, for everyone between the ages of 70 and 75, a gong that sounds the warning, “This is the Dawning of the Age of Vicarious.”

One inevitably slips from devouring the joy of an activity to fading away to the satisfaction in seeing the joy that younger friends experience.

The reality of that has been creeping toward me for several years, beginning when my buddy Aaron Williams (some 40 years my junior) launched us on a short boat trip from the dam to Isaak’s.

“I hope you don’t mind if we don’t fish this trip,” he said, “I can’t row and untangle your line at the same time.”

We laughed, but I knew it was a signal.

Gradually, from 71 to my current 80, I withdrew from other activities with Aaron — building a cabin, mountain hikes, a more raucous nightlife. This didn’t diminish the friendship, but just meant less time together as I increased more sedate activities.

A typical time when another friend, Rennan Rieke (only 30 years my junior), and I can steal time together is for far-ranging conversation and either laughter or commiseration during the time it takes for a couple of drinks.

The same for Bruce Whittenberg — only 20 years younger than I. His hikes and fishing excursions would be too much for me now. A typical evening — every Wednesday now for the past five or six years — is two glasses of wine at the Hawthorn, or two to four glasses of beer at the Blackfoot Brewery and then dinner and home by nine.

Aaron and Bruce just returned from arduous fishing trips — Aaron in Alaska and Bruce in Yellowstone Park.

I enjoyed both enormously, without raising a finger. I’ve got to say I love my vicarious period and will stretch it as long as I can with these and other close friends.

Vicarious ain’t so bad. Except perhaps when it comes to sex. That transition takes more adjustment. MSN

]]>https://montanaseniornews.com/age-of-vicarious/feed/03115Living with Moose: Adopting a Tulip-Free Lifestylehttps://montanaseniornews.com/living-with-moose/
https://montanaseniornews.com/living-with-moose/#respondSat, 01 Dec 2018 00:01:54 +0000https://montanaseniornews.com/?p=3119When we bought our house in Sandpoint, Idaho in 2002, there were no moose, and there were a lot of tulips. People who lived outside of town had to build fences to protect their gardens, but not us. We had bugs and slugs. That was it. Moose lived out in the woods where moose belonged, and we rarely spotted them.That changed one snowy morning.

When we bought our house in Sandpoint, Idaho in 2002, there were no moose, and there were a lot of tulips. People who lived outside of town had to build fences to protect their gardens, but not us. We had bugs and slugs. That was it. Moose lived out in the woods where moose belonged, and we rarely spotted them.

That changed one snowy morning when I was talking on the phone. A moose passed through my line of vision as I gazed out the window into our backyard. It moved in three feet of snow as if the snow wasn’t there. I dropped the phone.

That would have been about 2008. It was the first of many visits by that moose and others. Moose are massive and a bit ungainly, and it was exciting to watch them move around the neighborhood. They munched on our weeping willow, which had long drooping branches that had always been a bother, so we appreciated that.

But when they went after the blueberry bushes and apple trees, we segued quickly from amazement to annoyance. We threw stuff at them — anything that was standing by the back door — snow shovels, ski poles, the random trowel left over from fall gardening. Since none of these items was designed for accurate throwing, we never hit them, and they gave no indication that they noticed they were under assault.

We blew a whistle, rang a bell, blew an air horn. They looked at us with mild amusement.

Moose settled in. We saw them around town, munching on anything about head height (for them, six feet and up). Sometimes we would awaken to discover, as the light came up, that dark mass in the alley was a sleeping moose. Sometimes we would realize we were walking within a few feet of one browsing on branches near the sidewalk.

When spring came, and tulip leaves poked up from the thawing ground, we eagerly awaited the annual spread of pink and white blooms in the front yard. It never came. Instead, we could see truncated half-leaves where moose had neatly clipped off the tops along with the buds.

As we contemplated next steps, the moose disappeared. Apparently they had somewhere better to go in summer. But in the fall, they were back, and they showed a fondness for cabbage as well as apples and blueberry shoots. We got a slingshot and launched marbles at them, but our accuracy was only slightly better than it had been with snow shovels and ski poles.

On the rare occasion that a marble was on target, the moose just gave us an annoyed look, as though it had been bitten by a mosquito. The biggest effect we managed to have was on our neighbor’s car, when an errant marble missed a moose and went on to create an expensive little ding in the door.

Now we realize there’s little point in fighting it: The moose have adapted to city life. Moose mothers bring their calves — one even had adorable twins — through the neighborhood, showing them where there will be buds to eat in spring and cabbages in the fall.

Moose sleep in the alleys and wander the yards, wowing visitors as much as they annoy locals.

So we have adapted, too. Our local grade school has a moose protocol, keeping children indoors when moose are on the playground. Neighbors call when moose are on the way, and we stand by with our slingshot in a quixotic attempt to protect what we can.

]]>https://montanaseniornews.com/living-with-moose/feed/03119Serve With Me: Montana Veterans Foundation’s Willis Cruse House Helping Those Who’ve Servedhttps://montanaseniornews.com/cruse-house/
https://montanaseniornews.com/cruse-house/#respondSat, 01 Dec 2018 00:01:53 +0000https://montanaseniornews.com/?p=3098For the past 16 years, Montana Veterans Foundation: The Willis Cruse House in Helena, MT, has operated under a per-diem grant issued by the National VA. This funding source ended September 2018. The organization continues to apply for grants and explore other funding opportunities, connections, and partnerships.

“Serving Those Who Served.” What does that mean? Am I a waitress or housekeeper to ex-military individuals?

No, I most certainly am not.

I am a mid-30s gal sitting at a desk in an office inside a transitional home for homeless Veterans. At this desk, I write grants, pay the bills, pay the taxes, and pay the few employees we are able to staff.

Although this portion of my job is mega important, it is honestly not very exciting. The part of my job that keeps me here is SO MUCH more rewarding.

I meet veterans who are down on their luck, sometimes by their own doing, sometimes not. I meet real people, who deserve to be treated as such.

These wonderful folks I get to meet have barriers keeping them from being self-sufficient and independent.

I get to meet people, help them realize and vocalize their barriers, and then help them find creative ways to overcome them.

This transitional home where I work provides all of the necessary things we humans need to survive — like a bed to sleep in, food to nourish, hygiene items and accessibility to showers and laundry.

We provide computers, Internet, and phone lines to encourage communication and connection to the outside world.

We have Case Management and tons of resources. Pretty basic stuff right?

But more happens here within these walls.

This is where vets go from “SURVIVE to THRIVE”!

We are a family, ever-changing, but a family nonetheless. We collaborate on meals and activities, and we share our stories. We work together to help each other. We build friendships, based on important things like honesty, trust, and accountability.

So, when I sit at my desk with a Veteran resident, I am sitting with a new friend. I listen with an open mind and consider options, acting from the heart.

I am a real friend who will do anything I can to help while holding feet to the fire.

For the past 16 years, Montana Veterans Foundation: The Willis Cruse House has operated under a per diem grant issued by the National VA. This funding source ended September 2018.

I will continue to write grants and explore other funding opportunities, connections, and partnerships.

These endeavors take time, which is a luxury that we do not have. I am in the community, asking for sponsorship.
We all owe it to the men and women who so honorably made sacrifices for their country and their people.

They fought for our rights, now we fight for theirs.

I have faith that the community will step up and support this program that has aided over 900 Veterans, with a 95-percent rate of successful transition.

We cannot let another program disappear from our community. We cannot let the doors close on a house and program that has the capability and capacity to continue aiding our country’s heroes.

The time to help is now. MSN

Desiree Bain is the Director of Montana Veterans Foundation: The Willis Cruse House.The Willis Cruse House is a 12-bed transition home for homeless veteran men. Located at 1819, 1112 Leslie Ave, Helena, MT 59601(406) 449-7666

]]>https://montanaseniornews.com/cruse-house/feed/03098Montana Pioneer Dentist Elma Brockmanhttps://montanaseniornews.com/elma-brockman/
https://montanaseniornews.com/elma-brockman/#respondSat, 01 Dec 2018 00:01:44 +0000https://montanaseniornews.com/?p=3135Elma Brockman’s life had already been filled with adventure when she headed east on a train into Montana from Spokane in 1899. Little did she know that her life would soon take even another turn.

Elma Brockman’s life had already been filled with adventure when she headed east on a train into Montana from Spokane in 1899. Little did she know that her life would soon take even another turn.

Elma was born in Kansas in 1876 to Mary and John H. Brockman, who was a farmer and was receiving a Civil War pension. In 1882 when she was 5-years old, she and her family, which included an older sister and brother, Fanny and David Richard, took a nine-day trip on an immigrant train from St. Joseph, Mo., to San Francisco, Calif.

From there they took a ship — since there were no trains — to the Northwest and settled in McMinnville, Ore.

Later they moved to the Spokane area where her father ranched, and her mother owned a millinery shop. In addition to making hats, her mother was a skilled photographer.

Elma and her brother became interested in dentistry and attended Western Dental School in Kansas City, Mo. They both graduated in the same class of 1899. Elma received honors for operative dentistry. Later her older sister, Fanny, also became a dentist after studying at the Western Dental School.

Elma practiced a short while in Washington but decided Montana needed dentists, so she became a “pioneer” dentist. She was in the first class to sit for examination with the Montana Dental Examiners.

The day she headed east on the train, Elma was riding in a Pullman car the family had purchased. She and her brother planned to practice dentistry along the railroad line of northern Montana. They had living quarters along with their dental office and a photography lab in the Pullman car.

Following their mother’s interest, they would also do photography in the communities where they stopped to practice dentistry.

When they had completed all the work at one town, they would hitch onto a train and move on to another community. For example, an August 9, 1903 edition of the Great Falls Tribune reported that “Dr. D. R. Brockman is here with his dental car and will be here about a week.” All together, the Brockman family used the Pullman car for 14 years.

It was in the town of Culbertson that Elma’s life took that big turn. She met Frank Arnette, who was 11 years older than she. Frank was born in Illinois on August 8, 1865. When he was 15, he journeyed alone on the steamboat, the Far West, to join his uncle, Henry Sieben, on a ranch near Helena, where he learned about the cattle industry.

After working on ranches in several areas of the state, he moved in 1898 to Culbertson, where he was the foreman of the Bar Diamond Ranch, located across the Missouri River from Culbertson. He co-owned the ranch with a man by the name of Beach and his uncle, Henry Sieben.

At 1,600 acres plus 10 sections of state land under lease, it was the largest ranch in the area and edged on the river and otherwise had an 18-mile stretch of wire fencing.

Being a big cattleman, Frank was soon recognized for his leadership qualities and became the president of the bank in Culbertson as well as a state legislator for Valley County. During his ranching years in Culbertson, Frank also showed that the area could raise crops. He was a pioneer at irrigating in the region.

Frank and Elma were married in Spokane on June 6, 1900, and took up life as ranchers in Culbertson. She had been practicing dentistry, but she discontinued that work after she married, except for the dental care of the employees of their ranch and nearby ranches. In 1908, they built a bungalow home and included a dental parlor in the floor plan.

Throughout the years, Fanny and D.R. also practiced in Culbertson and nearby communities, and, at times, used Elma’s dental parlor. Fanny once said that “Painless extractions were the worst thing that had happened to her profession because people always preferred a painless extraction over a painful filling.”

Elma and Frank had two daughters, Rowena and Wilma. While leading the life of a rancher’s wife, Elma was also active in the women’s rights campaign.

In 1914, when Montana women won the right to vote, she met in Helena with others who were campaigning for the cause. As a professional in an era where there were few professional women, she let her voice be heard.

In 1924, Frank died of cancer in the Glendive Hospital.

After that Elma again took up her dental profession, used the office in her home, and built a “splendid” practice.

Altogether, she practiced dentistry in Montana for 36 years. She also oversaw the farm and ranch, often leasing land to renters.

In 1934, after a temporary stop in Florida, she moved to Spokane and lived with her sister. During the next 15 years, she served as the laboratory technician for Fanny’s dental office.

She died August 1947 at her sister’s home after a long illness.

Elma Brockman Arnette was among the many pioneers who helped mold Montana into the wonderful progressive state that it is today. By being a voice for woman’s suffrage and by providing dentistry to a community that might have gone without, she stepped forward to share her knowledge and position at a time when these attributes were critically needed.

Visit the display depicting Elma Brockman Arnette’s life at the Culbertson Museum. MSN

]]>You may have noticed a new logo addition to our masthead. Our publishers Bob and Janet Hunt returned from the North American Mature Publishers Association (NAMPA) conference in October with 11 — count ‘em, ELEVEN — awards in hand for our two publications (Montana Senior News and sister publication Idaho Senior Independent). Our papers were judged in the Class B division, for publications with 25,001-50,000 circulation.

Since the Hunts acquired the papers in 2017, staff has worked diligently to make improvements with overall design and written content. We are happy to say our efforts have really paid off.

Here’s a line-item report of how we ranked, along with the judges’ comments, for each category in which we placed.

1. General Excellence

SECOND PLACE: MONTANA SENIOR NEWS

“The array of content here is really quite breathtaking. What reader wouldn’t be pleased to find more than four dozen articles under a wide range of topics from health and money to recreation, nature, travel, photography, fitness, nutrition, caregiving, entertainment, pets, recipes, home and lifestyle, Montana history and more. Uniformity in typography helps maintain consistency, and the writing adds personality and a strong sense of life in the West.”

2. & 3.Most Improved

FIRST PLACE TIE: MONTANA SENIOR NEWS/IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

“Montana Senior News switched its cover format from a newspaper to a magazine design. It certainly adds a kick to the overall look. In addition, content is better organized and set off with attractive section headers. The content remained largely the same, but new organization makes it easier to access.”

6. Briefs/Shorts

“Parrett writes in praise of the burgers at the Great Falls Senior Center — it’s enough to make you head out for your favorite diner. Jeremy Watterson’s piece about collecting baseball cards — a way to recollect memories and hold on to a piece of history. Both are evocative articles and sure to appeal to others enjoying their memories.”

7. Personal Essay

“These are four-legged thieves, not the usual two-legged scalawags, in this observational column about calves and cows and feeding time. It gives cows credit for a level of sneakiness not usually known — so it’s both fun and educational.”

“Heikkila’s article about the two pickling techniques covers the topic thoroughly, from the how-to to the historic whys. Even if you never intend to practice pickling, this article is worth a read.”

10. Best Single Ad-color

SECOND PLACE: MONTANA SENIOR NEWS (The Peaks)

“This advertisement, for an independent living business, is presented in a cool blue to reflect the name (The Peaks) and the location. The information is presented vertically, and the size of the elements takes us down the page.”

11. Website General Excellence

“The rolling photos show off the broad [array] of content. The photo cropping captures your eye immediately. The page is clean, branded and organized. The categories of news are easily accessible from the strip across the top. The story promos are well written to tease readers.” MSN